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Lyons: Tolerance that no one really wants

Published: Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 7:40 p.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 7:40 p.m.

Florida and much of the nation are enjoying lively discussions about proposed changes in marijuana laws, but cops are doing the same old thing.

How can they not? They keep enforcing the existing laws whether it does any good or not, as always.

But one action inspiring discussion of their priorities is a recent undercover sting in which Sarasota Police posed as dealers offering small and conveniently affordable bags of weed at Fredd Atkins Park, Newtown.

Along with a few other busts, six people were arrested for buying $5 bags of marijuana. Most of them were apparently homeless, perhaps spending their only dollars in this unwise fashion.

This event was not the long-awaited final battle in the war on drugs, obviously. Victory has not been declared. The arrests were much closer to being the least significant undercover drug busts ever.

So, does it make sense for police to be setting up ops like that, going after the easiest-to-bust and most insignificant players using the least harmful substance in the entire illegal-drug universe?

It could be argued that Fredd Atkins Park will be a slightly nicer place for a few days as a result of the operation. I wouldn't count on that — but maybe.

Otherwise, though, it may seem that nothing worthwhile was accomplished. It is the usual game, played at great expense to taxpayers, and the only result is that a few not-admirable, non-prosperous people now have one more problem.

That's why I am tempted to razz police about having nothing better to do, as some readers have been doing. But there is a problem with that.

It's often said: While most of Sarasota isn't really drug-free, it is mostly free from illegal drug dealing done in plain sight in parks and other public areas. The truth is, almost no one — not even people who use drugs — wants the neighborhood park or street corner to become an illegal drug market.

There are too many scary problems associated with that. It is bad for any park and any neighborhood. The same would apply if alcohol sales were banned and moonshine was being sold. You just don't want that stuff happening there.

But while that isn't a problem in most of Sarasota, parts of Newtown have long had a reputation as the place for open-air and drive-by sales of illegal substances.

Why is that?

There may be other reasons, but one theory is hard to discount. Police just don't do as much about it there as they might elsewhere. Newtown is thought of as the designated crime-tolerance zone, to a degree, and despite many police actions and arrests that keep a lid on things, law enforcement efforts aren't really expected to entirely close down the neighborhood-disturbing and dangerous outdoor drug sales.

Still, it looks bad when sellers and buyers become too visible, especially at a high-profile spot visible from North Washington Boulevard, a major road traveled by lots of people who actually never set foot in Newtown.

Tolerating that sends a bad signal, and makes police look bad. Ignore it and there will soon be more and more of the same.

I think police had to act. That operation at Fredd Atkins Park was unimpressive and the result was kind of pathetic, but only because the people breaking the law there fit the same description.

<p>Florida and much of the nation are enjoying lively discussions about proposed changes in marijuana laws, but cops are doing the same old thing.</p><p>How can they not? They keep enforcing the existing laws whether it does any good or not, as always.</p><p>But one action inspiring discussion of their priorities is a recent undercover sting in which Sarasota Police posed as dealers offering small and conveniently affordable bags of weed at Fredd Atkins Park, Newtown.</p><p>Along with a few other busts, six people were arrested for buying $5 bags of marijuana. Most of them were apparently homeless, perhaps spending their only dollars in this unwise fashion.</p><p>This event was not the long-awaited final battle in the war on drugs, obviously. Victory has not been declared. The arrests were much closer to being the least significant undercover drug busts ever.</p><p>So, does it make sense for police to be setting up ops like that, going after the easiest-to-bust and most insignificant players using the least harmful substance in the entire illegal-drug universe?</p><p>It could be argued that Fredd Atkins Park will be a slightly nicer place for a few days as a result of the operation. I wouldn't count on that — but maybe. </p><p>Otherwise, though, it may seem that nothing worthwhile was accomplished. It is the usual game, played at great expense to taxpayers, and the only result is that a few not-admirable, non-prosperous people now have one more problem.</p><p>That's why I am tempted to razz police about having nothing better to do, as some readers have been doing. But there is a problem with that.</p><p>It's often said: While most of Sarasota isn't really drug-free, it is mostly free from illegal drug dealing done in plain sight in parks and other public areas. The truth is, almost no one — not even people who use drugs — wants the neighborhood park or street corner to become an illegal drug market.</p><p>There are too many scary problems associated with that. It is bad for any park and any neighborhood. The same would apply if alcohol sales were banned and moonshine was being sold. You just don't want that stuff happening there.</p><p>But while that isn't a problem in most of Sarasota, parts of Newtown have long had a reputation as the place for open-air and drive-by sales of illegal substances.</p><p>Why is that?</p><p>There may be other reasons, but one theory is hard to discount. Police just don't do as much about it there as they might elsewhere. Newtown is thought of as the designated crime-tolerance zone, to a degree, and despite many police actions and arrests that keep a lid on things, law enforcement efforts aren't really expected to entirely close down the neighborhood-disturbing and dangerous outdoor drug sales.</p><p>Still, it looks bad when sellers and buyers become too visible, especially at a high-profile spot visible from North Washington Boulevard, a major road traveled by lots of people who actually never set foot in Newtown.</p><p>Tolerating that sends a bad signal, and makes police look bad. Ignore it and there will soon be more and more of the same.</p><p>I think police had to act. That operation at Fredd Atkins Park was unimpressive and the result was kind of pathetic, but only because the people breaking the law there fit the same description.</p><p><i></p><p>Tom Lyons can be contacted at tom.lyons@heraldtribune.com</i></p>